The American Physical Society was founded on May 20, 1899, when 36 physicists gathered at Columbia University for that purpose. They proclaimed the mission of the new Society to be "to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics", and in one way or another the APS has been at that task ever since.

Dedicated to the advancement of physics, AIP serves a federation of physical science societies, and provides leadership through its own programs and publications.

Scan the heavens with this monthly guide to constellations, planets, cosmic events and more.